Falling Down When We're Empty
by Dragon Pulse
Summary: The game is called survival. To leave, you must survive. To survive you must dig in to your depths and learn the things you wished you hadn't. Please keep your hands and hearts inside the vehicle. K/F
1. Chapter 1

They had been separated again.

It was just as it happened last time. Sakura, Syaoran, and even Mokona were nowhere to be found. However, standing next to one another were Kurogane and Fay. The mage glanced to the right, offering the man a smile and a shrug. There was little use in speaking; he couldn't see Mokona or the others - just as in the Shura Country. When that had happened, the small creature wasn't around. They were unable to speak to one another. Chances were, this would be a similar case. They'd be unable to understand one another if they spoke, so it was easier simply to shrug it off. All they could do was wait it out and hope they'd eventually find the others.

It took six months of near silence last time.

This world was different than the others, though. Kurogane could feel it in his bones. It felt like a dull ache – something just wasn't right about it. It bore a resemblance to Tokyo, at least, what was left of it. The architecture was nothing like Tokyo, however, immediately pushing the thought of their relocation out of the ninja's mind. What remained of the architecture was unlike anything they'd seen before. Nonetheless, it was rundown. Beaten. Falling to pieces before their eyes. The streets were quiet, save for the sound of strange roars in the distance. The paved streets had no vehicles, and the broken sidewalks had no people walking on them.

Frankly, it was eerie. Kurogane let out a growl, narrowing his crimson eyes at the wizard.

"This is great. I'm gonna kill that damn manjuu when I find it."

Fay arched an eyebrow at the ninja's words. He'd understood them. "Well, Kuro-pon, Mokona can't be _too_ far if I can understand what you're saying!"

"Hn." A grumble was the only response he gave Fay. Being dropped into a strange world at an inopportune time wasn't exactly what he had in mind. He pondered part of what felt so strange, and as he continued to eye the mage, it began to make sense. His clothing. It matched what they'd worn so long before. Lecourt? Yes, that was it. And…

The eye patch.

It was gone.

Kurogane's eyes widened. How could this even be possible?

It was apparent Fay was thinking along similar lines. His expression matched that of ninja's, quietly observing. He was clad in the clothes they had begun their journey in, and the hilt of his sword matched that of the one given to Yuuko as payment for his wish. However, it wasn't only that single thing that troubled the blond. Everything about Kurogane seemed a bit different. He stood taller, and his expression was softened, though it was very slight.

Instinct was kicking in for them both. Something here wasn't right. Even still, Fay couldn't resist going to his default defense mechanism. He placed a hand on his hips, shaking a finger at the taller man. A wide grin appeared on his lips and he winked an eye. "Now, Kuro-pii, you can't just go getting items back from Yuuko-san without telling the rest of the family! It's just not fair to us, now is it?"

The red eyes narrowed once again. Kurogane _wasn't_ in the mood for this. "Shut up."

"Ooh, does Kuro-daddy need a nap now that the kids are gone?"

"I said **shut up**,mage." His voice lowered, shooting a fierce glare at the blond. "Something's not right about this place."

Fay nodded his head in response. He was fully aware that something wasn't right. He knew that something – or someone was interfering with fate. There was a certain order to the universe, and perhaps even to their journey, and this certainly wasn't a part of it. For just a moment, a serious look appeared in his blue eyes. This could prove to ruin everything. The expression didn't last long enough for Kurogane to respond to it, allowing the mage to bring the false grin back to his face. "Then I suppose we should make it our duty to get to the bottom of the problem!"

_Great. This is just great. This idiot... He has no idea._ Kurogane let out another grunt. He didn't buy the false smiles and the feigned enthusiasm. There was little Fay could hide from him at this point. Too much had happened before arriving on… wherever the hell this place was they'd made their way to. They were somewhere they weren't supposed to be, and something had happened to the mage. "Save the crap. Your fake smiles don't work on me."

Without any more than a grunt, the ninja turned, beginning to walk in the other direction. It would do them no good to stand in the same place. They sure wouldn't get any idea of what world they were on if they stood under a dim streetlight. He didn't look back. Kurogane knew that the wizard would follow closely behind. Within just a few moments, he heard the patter of footsteps behind him. He turned his head just enough to see Fay. The smaller had let his blond locks fall over his eyes as he walked. It was rare to see this side… or at least, it had been at one point in time. Now it only seemed strange because it was so sudden and out of place.

But still, he chose to press on.

It didn't take long for the two to reach what appeared to have been an intersection. To the right was short building. The neon lights were mostly broken, though some still flashed. "P-A-R-K." To left was a taller building, clad with destroyed storefronts. A bank, a department store. The windows were broken, and it looked as if they'd both been raided for all they had. Straight ahead was more of the same. Storefronts, ruined pavement. A strange set of stairs. Most of the stairs were broken, almost as if an earthquake had hit them – though it seemed unfitting as the rest of the area didn't seem to suffer the same damage. Over the set of stairs was a sign. It was a deep shade of green, but the lettering was unfamiliar.

_**"Subway. R/W. 8th Street."**_

Fay cocked his head to the side slightly, looking at the sign for a long while before turning to the ninja. "Can you read it?"

"No." The ninja's response was flat, closing his eyes as he let out a sigh of frustration. "Looks like something the kid would have been able to read."

"Hm," Fay studied the writing for another moment. "It does look similar to the writing on that sign we saw in Jade Country. Syaoran-kun was able to read that. Perhaps in our travels, we should have had him teach us to read other languages!"

"Tch. Didn't I say to shut up?" Kurogane shot Fay another glare, but all he got in response was a close-eyed smile. He let out a groan, continuing to look at the sign that was before him. Staring at it wasn't going to make him understand it, but it gave the ninja a chance to plot their next move. He still had no idea where they were, where Syaoran and Mokona were, or how to get anywhere.

_Beeeep. Beeeeeeeep. Beeeeeeeeeep._

The strange beeping noise came from the depths of Fay's coat pocket, distracting the ninja from his thoughts and jerking his head in the direction of the blond. He turned to see Fay reaching into the pocket, pulling out an unusual device. It wasn't much like anything they'd ever owned, but it looked much like the cellular phones they'd seen early on in their journey, in the Hanshin Republic.

_Beeeep. Beeeeeeeep. Beeeeeeeeeep._

Fay fumbled with the device as it continued to beep. He pressed buttons at random, hoping that one of them would be the one he needed. After a moment, the beeping stopped. Apparently, he'd pressed the right button. "Hm… I wonder what that was about."

And then a voice came from the strange electronic device. It was muffled and laden with static, but it was comprehensible to the both of them.

"_This is about survival. You ought to get to safety before the dogs catch the scent of fresh blood."_


	2. Chapter 2

"_There are others. If you're lucky, you'll find them."_

After the short statement, the static began to fade out. The device fell silent once more, leaving the two men looking at it in bewilderment.

"Ah, I wonder exactly what she meant by that…" Fay trailed off, looking at the device with a curious expression. As he noticed the connection cut out, he peered at it. It seemed to have a lot of buttons for such a small device. Maybe if they could find someone else in the city, it could be explained as to how it worked. Or maybe… "Kuro-mii, perhaps Syaoran-kun, Sakura-chan and Mokona must be close by! They did say there were others, after—"

"Dammit mage, behind you!" The wizard's words were cut off by Kurogane's sudden shouting.

"…Eh?" Kurogane's sudden shout caught Fay off guard, but he quickly came to attention. He jerked his head to the side, catching a glimpse of the hideous creatures coming their way. They resembled dogs, and very unfriendly ones at that. Their tongues were long. Foam filled their mouths, and it appeared that they were already dead, if that was even possible. On their bodies, exposed muscle, bone, and other innards were evident. It didn't look much like they wanted to play fetch, either. The mage turned slightly more, standing back to back with the ninja. "Well, I suppose we'll have to play catch up later, hm, Kuro-wanta?"

As his statement finished, one of the creatures lunged in his direction. Fay's immediate reaction was to jump out of the way; however, doing that would leave Kurogane's back open for attack. He stood in a defensive position as the dog-like monster came within centimeters of his face, at which time; there was the sound of metal slicing through bone and slight splatter of blood.

Before the mage stood Kurogane, with Ginryuu unsheathed. It was obvious that the ninja had taken an attack position. More of the dogs began to lunge forward. In retaliation, the ninja jumped forward, ready to attack. "Hama Ryuu-ou Jin!" Within a matter of moments after calling out his signature attack move, the creatures had fallen. The area surrounding the two men was now more disastrous looking than it had been before, though neither of them seemed to be very affected by it. In a slick motion, Kurogane placed the sword back in its scabbard before shooting a vicious glare at Fay. "You never learn, do you?"

"I'm not sure what you mean, Kuro-tan!" The mage responded with a smile that was laden with lies. Fay knew precisely what Kurogane had meant, though he had little intent of revealing that. If there was one thing Fay knew, it was that Kurogane could always see right through his façade. He'd done it a number of times before, and this time was no exception.

"Cut the crap, mage. You know what I meant." Kurogane let out a scoff, beginning to walk through the abandoned intersection. "After all this time, you still don't value yourself. Tch."

Fay hadn't heard the ninja's last statement, but even still, he frowned. He made a swift motion, following close behind. Where they were headed, neither was sure. The silence was deafening. Neither of them really wanted to question where to go from where they were. They didn't want to question the obvious discrepencies in time, nor did they want to address the other obvious issues. Instead, they walked in the hopes of finding the others in their group. It would be much easier to figure out the strange, decrepit city that way. The silence didn't last long, however. After only a few minutes of walking, the pair found themselves in front of an unusual structure. It was a large, black cube, rotated on one corner.

"Hm, such a strange structure."

"… Yeah." Kurogane looked away from the cube, his eyes meeting with Fay's for a brief moment. He looked back to the cube once more, taking a moment to think. It was eating him alive. How was the mage dressed in those clothes? How did he get his other eye back? And why was he acting so much like he had early in their journey. It didn't make very much sense. Unless, of course, it had something to do with this city. This world. There was obviously something very wrong with it. Frankly, the ninja wasn't in the mood for anything like this. He needed to get back, they all did. This was a waste of time. He let out a frustrated sigh, observing the rest of their surroundings. Mostly tall buildings, though there were a few other things. A couple of small cafés, and another one of those strange staircases.

'**Subway. 6. Astor Pl.'**

It probably would have helped if the ninja was able to read the western lettering that lined all of the city's buildings and structures. Another sigh escaped his lips as he looked back down the blonde. Fay had taken a seat at the base of the cube, and was now fiddling with the device that had been in his pocket. After a few moments, the device beeped again. However, unlike the previous time, no voices could be heard on the other end. "Hello? Is there someone there? I'm not quite sure how this thing works!"

Silence.

At least, for a moment. This time, the voice responding was loud and clear. It was completely free of static.

"_Oh, you must be new arrivals!"_

"New arrivals?" Kurogane and Fay spoke in unison, looking down at the device in confusion."

"_I guess I should have figured that the conspirators wouldn't tell you much. Heh. If you tell me where you are, I'll come get you! It can get pretty dangerous out here, especially at night."_

"So we've learned already!" Fay responded with a laugh. At the very least, they could get some information out of this. "I can't read any of the signs, but me and Kuro-sama are in front of a giant black cube!"

"_You must be right by Cooper Union then. My roommate and I live pretty close to that place, so just hang tight! It shouldn't take more than ten minutes to get there. Just be careful in the meantime!"_

"How about telling us where the hell we are?!" Kurogane spat out before giving Fay a chance to respond.

"_Don't worry; I'll explain it when we get there! It's a lot easier to talk in person than over the PDAs. Hang tight, hang tight!"_

Without another word, the feed immediately cut out. The PDA beeped once again, signaling that it was being turned off once more. Fay stared at it again for a moment before gently placing it back in his pocket. "At the very least, I figured out how to use it, Kuro-tan! We just need to wait for that gentleman to get here with his friend, and we should be good to go!"

"Hn." Kurogane's response made it evident that he wasn't really listening to anything the wizard had to say. There were more important questions he had to ask at this point. "The conspirators. Wonder what that's about."

"Hm?" The blonde looked up curiously. He cocked his head to the side slightly. "I'm not too sure myself, but I'm sure that man will explain it to us!"

The ninja didn't respond. He peered out at his surroundings, mentally trying to make head and tails of the situation. The city looked like other "modern" ones he'd been to before. Although far more abandoned and far less hustle-and-bustle. At the very same time, it had the strange feeling of Tokyo. Though it was for the same reasons it didn't feel like a modern city. Those creatures weren't normal. They weren't dogs. Or were they? That device. The PDA.

And who were the conspirators? _If that bastard has anything to do with this, then I'll really kill him. _Kurogane grit his teeth in frustration.

Fay was thinking on a fairly similar track. The place intrigued him. It worried him. It didn't fit with the balance of the other worlds they'd been to. Everything about it was unnatural. It felt as if they were trapped in a game, or a project. Something was off. The high-level wizard glanced at his traveling companion.

There was something off about him as well. He was different, and it wasn't just his clothes. The way he stood, the way he responded to things. Even how he shifted his weight. The way he held his sword.

Hell, his sword in general. All of it was wrong. It didn't add up to what had been happening in the previous world.

"You must be the new guys, right?" Both Fay and Kurogane had their thoughts interrupted by the unfamiliar voice. They both turned in the direction of the voice to see two people. One, a boy. He couldn't have been older than fifteen or sixteen. He was clad with a large wrench, a baseball cap that read "N Y" and a massive grin. The other, a teenaged girl. Her long hair cascaded in waves of blue, and her eyes matched. She was wearing what appeared to be an armored school uniform, and she held a sword in her right hand.

"Ah, I suppose to can say that!" Fay offered a smile, standing up and dusting off the seat of his pants. He held out his hand in a friendly gesture. "I'm Fay, and the grumpy one over there is Kuro-tan!"

"Oh, you don't have to be so formal!" The boy responded with a laugh, scratching the back of his neck. "It's nice to meet you Fay, and… Kuro-tan…?"

"Kurogane." The ninja responded flatly. He shot a seething glare at Fay for introducing him that way.

"Right, Kurogane!" The kid laughed again before continuing. "I'm Simon, and this is my roommate, Umi. She, um, kind of can't talk right now, but she's really great too!"

The girl gave a small wave and a smile, nodding her head in agreement.

"It's lovely to meet you both. Perhaps you can—"

Fay's response was cut off by Kurogane's straight to the point question. "You gonna tell us what the hell this place is about, or not?"

"Kuro-pon, you should be nicer, they're trying to help us!"

"H-hey, don't worry about it. It's cool; he's taking it much better than some of the other people do!" Simon laughed once more. He placed both hands on his head, adjusting his hat slightly. "Welcome to New York City. Or at least… what's left of it."


End file.
